- Date
- September 11, 1987, 15:01 local (19:01 UTC)
- Place
- Riverhead, NY
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N15917Piper PA-28-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 16, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870911051549A
- Case key
- 30512
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The Piper PA-28-180 experienced a power loss due to fuel exhaustion while flying over the long island sound. The pilot was unable to reach shore prior to ditching. The ditching was successful and both occupants exited the aircraft without injuries. After being in the water for a while. They voluntarily separated and one was eventually picked up after being in the water 3 hours. The other occupant drowned and was found several days later. The aircraft sank and was not recovered. The pilot failed to communicate his situation in a timely manner and even after telling ATC that he was low on fuel accepted a descent which reduced his gliding distance. In addition there was no flotation equipment on the aircraft. The pilot said he had planned the flight with a fuel burn of 8-9 gph. The acft owner, who had purchased the acft 2 yrs prior, stated that he always flt-planned for 13 gph when flying cross-country.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N15917
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7302184
- Airframe hours
- 3,542
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Newair Flight, Inc., doing business as Charisma
- Registered owner
- S.L.A.M., Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · September 8, 1987 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- B19 · Bidderford, ME
- Destination
- HVN · New Haven, CT
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- CTO · Navy Calverton
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 22
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,210 total · 47 in this make and model · 1,110 as pilot in command · 171 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 900 ft broken
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ISP, 25 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N15917 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.